Call a script whenever I receive an email

[David L Brewster]

I want to be able to run a script every time I receive an email. (Don't ask why).

I am assuming that I would need to modify my /etc/mail/aliases file.
Currently, it looks like this:
brewsted : brewsted@uspsy14ts

I've tried:
brewsted : brewsted@uspsy14ts, /users/brewsted/bin/myscript.ksh

But it doesn't seem to call the script, but I do get an email.

I've also tried:
brewsted : brewsted@uspsy14ts | /users/brewsted/bin/myscript.ksh

But that too yielded the same results.

I am on HP-UX 11.11

Thanks for your help,
Dave

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Dave:

A classic way to handle this is to have a '.forward' file in your ${HOME} directory. The file can look like:

brewsted, |/users/brewsted/bin/myscript.ksh

In this case when you receive a mail the script will be run too.

Regards!

...JRF...

[David L Brewster]

Ok, thanks. Thats a great start.
While I work on getting that going...
What I want to do the same kind of thing for a user that is not a user on our mail server?

[Zinky]

James,

Any trick too to only watch for certain SUBJECT strings and SENDER/SOURCE to trigger a script?

Thanks.

David... apologies for hi-jacking this thread.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom Dave,

good email utility script, does attachments.

http://www.hpux.ws/?p=7

SEP

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi (again) Dave:

> What I want to do the same kind of thing for a user that is not a user on our mail server?

I assume by this that you want to also forward email to another server. You could define the 'DS' (smart relay) macro in '/etc/mail/sendmail.cf' like:

DSmymailserver.mycompany.com

Then, in your '.forward' file you might have:

# cat /home/brewsted/.forward
\brewsted,brewsted@youraddress.com,"|/users/brewsted/bin/myscript.ksh"

Notice that a backslash is used if you include your own account as a mail recipient. Notice too that the script to run is enclosed in double quotes. I failed to do that in my first post :-(

Regards!

...JRF...

[David L Brewster]

Bingo JRF, Bingo.

I have the following in my /etc/mail/aliases file:
brewsted : brewsted@uspsy14ts, "| /users/tech/jobs/systems/mail_test.ksh"

Works just as I need it to.
I tried a lot of combinations on my own, but the double quotes seem to have been the key.

Thanks for your help!

Dave

[David L Brewster]

Go Phillies!